10 years of Hearonymus – the success story continues

In 2012, Peter and Claudia Grundmann came up with the idea of bringing audio guides onto smartphones. Today, there are more than 1,000 professional audio guides covering tourism and culture on the Hearonymus platform, and more than 225,000 users have installed the app on their smartphones. To mark this anniversary, we’d like to ask one of Hearonymus’s founders, Peter Grundmann, a few questions:

We’d like to offer our warmest congratulations on this anniversary and on these impressive figures. As Hearonymus’s father, what are your thoughts on this development?

Thank you for the congratulations – we’re naturally delighted! We’ve also been a little surprised, however, that what started as a small, rather obvious idea has grown into the world’s leading platform for professional audio guides.

It seems we’ve taken the right turn at a few crossroads ever since we founded the company. Of course, a lot of luck is involved, too, as with most success stories. Perhaps the Gods were also smiling on us. (smiling himself)

How did the idea for an audio guide platform come about?

I remember it clearly: I was standing with my wife in front of Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze at the Secession, and I was annoyed by those old, unhygienic audio guides. Those devices were as sticky as children’s hands in an ice-cream parlour. That was one of the things that sparked the idea that it would be lovely to be able to listen to audio guides on your own smartphone. Anywhere, anytime, hygienically and with perfect sound quality.

Subsequent research showed that, whilst there were already many solutions along these lines, unfortunately a separate app had been developed for each audio guide. This is not only time-consuming to create, but also a nuisance, as nobody wants to download dozens of apps.

So we decided to develop a platform app with a standardised guide. This is the most cost-effective way to bring culture and tourism onto smartphones.

How did you come up with the name “Hearonymus”?

Coming up with a name for a new company or product is one of the trickier processes if you want to get it right. There are many aspects to consider. I’ll just touch on a few of them. Firstly, it should be a descriptive name; in other words, the company name should already give a clue as to what we do. Furthermore, the name should be understood in every language, which is why an English play on words seemed the obvious choice. Names like “Hör_mal” or “Ohrgasmus” wouldn’t have been understood in Italy, for a start. After several weeks, HEARonymus eventually came to mind and we knew straight away that was the one.

What were the highlights of the last ten years?

My first presentation took place at the Leopold Museum. The members of the audience were impressed by Hearonymus and were determined to be part of the platform. So the Leopold Museum became our first client and remains a loyal partner to this day, providing guides not only for the permanent exhibition but also for numerous special exhibitions. The Leopold Museum is held very dear at Hearonymus. It’s like your first love – you never forget it, and it will always remain something special.

Another personal highlight for me was a presentation to mark the 65th birthday of the late cartoonist Manfred Deix. The celebration at the Caricature Museum in Krems was attended by numerous well-known figures from the worlds of culture, the media and politics. Being able to present Hearonymus there was exciting, and it clearly managed to catch Gottfried Helnwein’s attention as well.

Could you also tell us a bit about Peter Grundmann the private person?

But of course, I’d be happy to. I was born and brought up in the Waldviertel region of Lower Austria. I had an exciting childhood in the countryside, in an extended family with my Italian great-grandmother, my grandparents, three siblings, uncles, aunts, cousins… there was always a lot going on. Perhaps that’s why I enjoy being on my own from time to time these days.

After finishing school, I moved to Vienna to study, and I’ve been living here for forty years now. I’ve been married to my wife for thirty years and we have a son together. Since our son moved into his own flat, we’ve had a new ‘child’ – our cocker spaniel, Ella. Thanks to Ella, we have to get out into the great outdoors whatever the weather, which my wife and I really enjoy. Ella is always in the office too, keeping a critical eye on the production of the audio guides.

 

Two years ago, I swapped my golf clubs for a tennis racket; I love riding my old Vespa through the city and enjoy cooking. Travel and culture are, of course, also among my interests, though this is less of a personal hobby, as I’m fortunate enough to be able to visit Berlin, Venice, Munich, Dresden and Zurich for work and enjoy the sights and museums there.

What can we expect from Hearonymus in the future?

Hearonymus will certainly continue to grow and will soon be available in a number of additional countries. Whether we do this ourselves or with partners has not yet been fully decided. We have received several interesting enquiries from potential partners. We’ll have to wait and see. In any case, it’s set to remain exciting and entertaining.